The Chocolate Lovers' Christmas Book Review

The Chocolate Lovers' Christmas by Carole Matthews

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Blurb:

Lucy loves running Chocolate Heaven but she hasn't spent time with her boyfriend, Aiden, in weeks. And then her ex-fiance turns up and things become even more complicated.

Nadia hasn't let herself get close to a man in a long time, yet she can't help feeling drawn to Jacob. Will he be her last chance for a happy ending?

Chantal and her husband, Tex, are besotted with their baby daughter Lana - but she's not sure that's enough to base a marriage on.

Autumn is dealing with a tragedy that has hit too close to home. But when she doesn't get the support she needs from her fiance, will she look elsewhere for comfort?

Can friendship overcome all?

Review by Brittany:

I am a longtime Matthews fan, importing all of her books because she's UK based and I am not. This book is actually the third in what has become a series about the friends of the Chocolate Lovers' Club.

This is the first book of the series in which I really felt exasperated with Lucy. She's clumsy and goofy and often doesn't think things through before she acts. In the other books, it was more endearing than it was in this one. By the end of the book I felt as if she really needed to do some more growing up.

That being said, Nadia and Autumn had much more of an impact on me in this book than in previous novels. Autumn deals with the death of her brother and the ways in which that is impacting her relationship with her fiance, Addison. She had an opportunity to develop more in this novel than I felt like she did in previous novels. I was able to look at her more as a serious, grounded adult and less like a lighthearted hippy type. Nadia is also dealing with a tragedy, the death of her husband and trying to go back to work to support herself and her young son. This experience develops her character more and gave me a chance to get to know her a little better.

I liked that there was more development of some of the characters, and the relationships between the friends got a little strained in this novel, which is different than what has happened in other novels. I think this added a nice depth to the novel because, realistically, four women being friends is going to have some tension sometimes.

Overall, I loved this book. Matthews writes such beautiful chick lit that I know I'm never going to be disappointed. The fourth book in the series has already been released, and I know that I'll be reading that one as well.

Notable quotes:

In trying to be kind, understanding, grown up, modern, had she simply stirred the hornet's nest?